Maple Oat Walnut Scones

These may not be the prettiest scones out there, but man - do they taste goooood!

I've been seeing copycat recipes for Starbucks' Maple Oat Pecan scones and it sounded really tempting. So this is my take on that recipe. I've adapted it quite a bit and loved how it turned out!

This is a delicious recipe and the flavor and texture of the scones is fabulous. I made only half a batch and instantly regretted it. It was gone in one sitting! Everyone loved it and it was just an amazing addition to the breakfast table.

These scones are pretty good for you too! Loaded with oatmeal and whole wheat flour, not too much fat and hardly any sugar (depending on how much glaze you slather on!) - you can't go wrong with this one!. 

I love that this can be made in advance and refrigerated overnight or frozen for a couple of days until you're ready to bake them! 

Maple Oat Walnut Scones

Adapted from food.com

Ingredients 

1 cup oats (quick cooking is fine but not the instant kind)

1 cup all purpose flour 

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

2 1/2 tsp baking powder 

2 tbsp sugar

1 tsp salt

2 tbsp pure maple syrup

2 1/2 tbsp cold butter, cut into small pieces 

1 large egg, cold

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 tsp maple extract 

1 cup walnuts

Maple glaze 

1 cup powdered sugar

1/2 tsp maple extract

3-4 tsp milk or water

Method 

1. In a food processor or blender jar, grind the oatmeal into a fine powder along with 1/3 cup of walnuts. 

2. Combine this powder in a large bowl along with the all purpose flour, the whole wheat flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Mix well to combine. 

3. Add in the cold butter and maple syrup and work the mixture with your fingertips so you have a crumbly, sand-like mixture. 

4. In a small bowl, stir together the egg, maple extract and cream. 

5. Add this mixture to the large bowl and mix to bring the dough together. 

6. Finely chop the remaining walnuts and add it to the bowl. Mix long enough to incorporate the walnuts into the dough. 

7. If baking immediately - on a floured surface flatten the dough with your hands until you have a circle approximately 8cm in diameter. With a sharp knife, cut into 8 wedges. Transfer to a greased baking sheet and bake in a preheated oven at 200C/400F for a about 15-18 minutes or until lightly golden. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before glazing. 

8. If baking later - lay down a large piece of cling-film on a plate. Lightly flour the surface and pat the dough down into an 8cm circle on the cling film. Cut into 8 wedges using a sharp knife. Wrap the dough up securely in the cling film. Place the plate in the fridge overnight or freezer for a couple of days. When you're ready to bake, preheat the oven to 200C/400F. Remove the cut scones from the refrigerator, unwrap and transfer to a greased baking sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden. No need to thaw! Just add a few extra minutes baking time. Allow to cool for five minutes before glazing. 

9. For the glaze: Combine the powdered sugar and extract in a bowl and add enough milk or water to get the glaze to the consistency you like. Glaze the still-warm scones with as much or as little glaze as desired!

The nutty flavor from the oatmeal and the walnuts in these scones can't be beat! And the maple flavor comes through just enough and the texture is beautifully crumbly and perfect!

You may recall that we're pretty crazy about walnuts around here. In fact, my Walnut Coffee Muffins post is still one of my most visited recipes on the site. And it was one of my post requested muffins on order, when I used to take orders! These yummy scones are reminiscent of those muffins. And you know what - I think a Coffee Oat Walnut scone wouldn't be too bad either! Must try that next time. 

Try this recipe. You won't regret it!

Sun Cake: Celebrating 100 posts & Summer!

I made it. I finally made it.

I never thought it would happen, but this is my 100th post.

I remember when I reached my 25th post. Feels like forever ago! I made a Mini-cake to celebrate the occasion and felt quite silly for doing it.

Now that I have made it to 100 posts, I really feel like celebrating. So much has happened since I started blogging, and you know I've almost quit a couple of times! But I hung around, and I am still here! Yay! So I won't feel silly for celebrating this milestone. And what celebration is complete without cake, I ask you?

I call this creation my Sun Cake. You'll see why!

The cake is my new favorite recipe for a Classic Butter Cake. I love the simplicity of a butter cake. It is flavorful, moist and just perfect. 

But what really makes this cake special is the filling! I filled the layers with a flavorful, nutty, slightly salty sunflower seed butter! Yes - you read right! Butter made from sunflower seeds. If you're asking  "what's that?!", it is kinda like peanut butter but different.

I got my sunflower seed butter as a part of an awesome package I received from my friend Ruchira from The Great Cookaroo, as a part of a Foodie Exchange program! More about the awesomeness of the package in the next post. The sunflower seed butter is really lovely on a lot of things and I am feeling a little sad that the bottle's almost empty, and I haven't seen it in any stores around here! But you know what - you can make your own sunflower seed butter! Yay! I've got to try that soon!

I wanted this cake to be a celebration of summer, too. Yes. Why fight it? Summer is here to stay, and we might as well accept it. I know - the heat and humidity is quite unbearable. I fuss and moan about it a lot, too. But summer means a lot of nice things too - vacation (I hope I get one this year!), bright colors, watermelon and most of all - the mangoes! I colored the layers of this cake in three summery colors - a light lemony yellow, a bright sunflower yellow and a lovely orange. I didn't do a great job with the yellows because they're kinda similar looking, but you get what I was trying to do, right?

The outside of the cake is a classic vanilla butter cream. I love butter cream. It's rich, sweet and luscious. I don't understand when people say "I don't like butter!". Really? What's wrong with you?

SUN CAKE

Butter Cake Layers

Adapted from Allrecipes.com

Ingredients

3 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp salt

1 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 3/4 cup sugar

4 eggs, at room temperature

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup buttermilk

Method

1. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt and set aside.

2. In a large bowl, cream the butter until light and fluffy.

3. Add the sugar and cream until completely combined.

4. Add the eggs in one at a time, beating well after each addition.

5. Beat in the vanilla extract.

6. Add 1/3 of the flour mixture to the butter mixture, followed by 1/2 of the buttermilk, another 1/3rd of the flour mixture, the remaining buttermilk and finish off with the rest of the flour mixture. Stir well to combine between each addition.

7. If desired, divide the batter equally into three bowls and color as desired.

8. Bake in greased and floured 8" round cake tins at 350F/180C until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean - about 20-25 minutes per layer.

9. Allow to cool in the pans for 15 minutes, and transfer onto racks to cool completely.

10. Fill and frost as desired.

Sunflower Seed Butter Filling

Adapted from Allrecipes.com

Ingredients

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

3/4 cup sunflower seed butter

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 - 2.5 cups confectioner's sugar, sifted

1-3 tbsp milk

A few drops of yellow food coloring, if desired

Method

1. Cream the butter and sunflower seed butter in a bowl until light and fluffy.

2. Add the vanilla (and the food coloring, if you're using it) and continue creaming for about 30 seconds.

3. Add 2 cups of sugar - 1/2 cup at a time - until completely incorporated and fluffy.

4. If you find the filling too thick, lighten it with milk, adding 1 tbsp at a time, beating well after each addition.

5. If you find the filling too running, add more powdered sugar.

Vanilla Butter Cream

Adapted from Allrecipes.com

Ingredients

1 cup unsalted butter

3 tsp vanilla extract

3 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar, sifted

1/4 tsp salt

2-3 tbsp whipping cream

Method

1. Cream the butter until light and fluffy.

2. Add the vanilla and salt and cream for about 30 seconds.

3. Add 3 cups of the sugar - 1/2 cup at a time - until you have a light, fluffy frosting.

4. Add 1 tbsp of the whipping cream and beat for about a minute. 

4. If you find the filling too thick, lighten it with more whipping cream, adding 1 tbsp at a time, beating well after each addition.

5. If you find the filling too runny, add more powdered sugar.

Assembly: Divide the sunflower seed butter filling into two equal portions. Fill the cooled cake layers with the sunflower seed butter, and frost the sides and top of the cake with a plain vanilla butter cream. Decorate with yellow and orange fondant daisies, if desired.

With colors of summer and flavors of sunflower, I think Sun Cake is a good name, don't you? I love this cake because the salty sweet sunflower seed butter filling offsets the sweetness of the cake and frosting. I just love that sweet-salty hit! 

This post is also hopefully the beginning of more regular blogging. Life has been crazy this past month and I really miss posting regularly. And more than that - I miss visiting all my favorite blogs! Don't be mad at me for not visiting you, okay? I am going to start being more regular this week. 

I am a lot more active on Facebook these days, and if you haven't connected with me on Facebook yet, please visit my page and say 'hello'! 

I wish I could share a slice of this cake with each and every one of the people I've met through this blog. Who knew, when I started posting 100 posts ago, that I would meet so many awesome new people, and make some friends who will stay with me for life? Thank you all for the love and support!

This post is dedicated to each & every person that I have met through The Harried Cook. 

Have a blessed week, all!

Easter Cupcakes & Homemade Fondant!

Okay, first things first... if you are here expecting a quark based recipe based on my last recipe post, I am sorry to disappoint you! I was going to make something really yummy. I swear!!! But then my friend came over, and told me all about how they eat quark in Germany (she's half German), and that was that! The next morning, we ate quark on toast, loved every bite of it, and now it's gone! Poof! Just like that!

So, I owe you one 'quarky' recipe. 

But until then, please have a cupcake?

It has been a while since I worked with fondant. And this week, when I was asked if I would make these for church, I jumped at the chance! It's so fun and it's been ages!

I don't know about you, but fondant isn't up there with my favorite frostings, in terms of flavor. I have tasted a lot of fondant and most of them are tasteless and dry. Homemade fondant to the rescue!

I followed the rolled fondant recipe from Zoe Bakes, and I was thrilled with the results. All the fondant recipes I have used before pale in comparison to this one. It rolls out beautiful and is really easy to work with! If you are afraid of working with fondant, this is the recipe to try. And you know what the BEST part is? It tastes nice! I increased the quantity of vanilla in the recipe just a little bit, and it tasted really nice. Of course, it is still really sweet, and so I can't eat too much of it, but at least it doesn't taste like cardboard!

Homemade Fondant
Adapted from Zoe Bakes
Ingredients
900gms Icing Sugar
1 tablespoon gelatin (unflavored)
3 tablespoon cold water
1/2 cup minus 1 tablespoon Liquid Glucose
1 1/2 tablespoons glycerin
1 tbsp + 1 tsp vanilla extract
(If you want pure white fondant, pure vanilla extract is too 'brown'. You will need to use clear vanilla which is usually an essence and not an extract.)

Method
1. Sift half the icing sugar into a large bowl and set aside.
2. In a medium heatproof bowl, pour the cold water and sprinkle the gelatin over the surface of it. Allow the gelatin to bloom by leaving it in the water for about 3-4 minutes.
3. Place the bowl over a double boiler and heat until the gelatin has completely dissolved. Don't allow the mixture to boil. Alternately, you can zap it in the microwave for short 10 second intervals, stirring in between, until the gelatin has completely dissolved. I haven't tried it in the microwave myself, and so I cannot vouch for this method.
4. As soon as the gelatin mixture comes off the stove, stir in the liquid glucose, glycerin and vanilla extract. Stir well to combine.
5. Make a well in the center of the icing sugar, and pour in the gelatin-glucose mixture.
6. On low speed, mix them together until completely combined and sticky.
7. Transfer onto a clean counter which has been sprinkled with some powdered sugar.
8. Add the remaining powdered sugar a little at a time, and begin to incorporate with your hands. Keep kneading until all the sugar as been added and you have a smooth ball of fondant.
9. Wrap the fondant in two layers of clingfilm and set aside to rest for 12-18 hours. Do not refrigerate.
10. When you are ready to use the fondant, if you find it is too dry, you can microwave it for 15-20 seconds and you will find it has softened slightly and is more pliable.
11. Divide into portions and color as desired. Gel food coloring is recommended because liquid coloring can make your fondant too wet.

There you go! Homemade fondant :)

In case you were wondering, the cupcakes are just regular vanilla cupcakes, and the 'grass' is a Swiss Meringue Buttercream Frosting tinted green!

I had fun playing with the fondant, and so did my little girl! We made eggs

eggs in nests

and chicks

and a rabbit, too!

I am sorry to report that this rabbit died an untimely death due to overweight.

This is a picture of him, minutes before his sudden demise. Poor guy. He didn't know what was coming! :(

He toppled off the cupcake platter, fell a good 5 1/2 feet into the dirt and had to be buried in the trash. The rabbit in the next picture is his square-jawed brother who stepped in to take his place.

In case you didn't notice, or if you were wondering why some of the pictures look different, some of the pictures in this post were taken by Zippora (my half German, quark eating friend), who also took the pictures of my Triple Dark Chocolate Cookies post. Her pictures and mine were taken in different lighting settings, and with different brands of camera (Nikon vs. Canon.... hmmmm) and lenses (hers is a 50mm lens, and mine is not). What a difference, right? :) You can check out her photography blog here.

I've been seeing so many cute and adorable fondant Easter toppers out there! Bunnies, chicks, flowers, eggs, and SO much more. But I just wanted to share this last cupcake to remind us what Easter is all about! Let's not forget about the death and resurrection of our Lord, which is the reason we celebrate!

If you are looking for some ideas for Easter cookies, you can check out my Easter post from last year. Not very professional looking cookies, but hey - I tried! :)

Happy Easter!


Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 1 Peter 1:3

Moist Chocolate Cupcakes w/ Whipped Ganache Frosting

A really strange thing happened to me this week. If you know me well, you will know how totally out of character this is for me.

I wanted chocolate cake.

Well, 'wanted' seems like a mild word for what I felt. I longed for chocolate cake. So weird! Can you believe it?

Most of my cravings revolve around citrus or spice. Very, very, VERY rarely do I actually crave chocolate cake. Okay I'll stop now before you totally write me off as a lunatic.

In order to satisfy that craving, I made these.

Aren't they pretty?

Look at this one standing high & proud on his high chocolate tower! :)

The cupcake recipe isn't a new one. I have shared it with you before in my Rocky Road Cupcakes post. It is Alton Brown's Chocolate cake recipe that I made into cupcakes. It is a dense, moist cupcake. This time around I made it extra moist by under-baking it a little and it was really delicious!

The frosting is a whipped ganache - which is the easiest thing to make, and SO yummy! And it goes without saying - the better the quality of the chocolate you use, the better your frosting will taste.

Whipped Ganache Frosting
Ingredients
8oz (227g) dark/bittersweet chocolate
8oz (227g) heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla

Method
1. Chop up the chocolate and place in a large bowl.
2. In a saucepan, heat the cream until it just begins to simmer. Be careful not to let it boil or it will split.
3. Pour the hot cream over the melted chocolate. Allow this to sit for about 2 minutes.
4. Whisk until smooth, and add in the vanilla. Whisk until dissolved. Set aside to 'set' for about an hour or two. I put it into the fridge for about 15 minutes before I whipped it.
5. Beat using an electric mixer for 4-5 minutes until you achieve a piping consistency.

This frosting is absolutely delicious and very versatile. I used the same recipe with milk chocolate for some cupcakes I baked this week for a friend, and it tasted great!

I must report that with the craving completely satisfied, the strange chocolate phase has passed. Right after I hit 'Publish', I am headed to the kitchen to make a batch of lime curd to have with breakfast.

Now that feels normal!

In other news, next weekend I am teaching an 'Introduction to Baking' class in partnership with Chennai Food Guide and Crimson Chakra. Registrations have closed for this batch, and I am really looking forward to meeting all the participants who have registered! Before you come I must say: a word to the wise - baking is addictive!!! And I cannot wait to pass the baking bug on to you! I'll see you all at Crimson Chakra on the 24th of March.

Also - a BIG thank you to the lovely Pratiksha from Honeyed Pandemonium for the Leibster award! I really appreciate it :) Hugs to you!

Have a wonderful weekend and I will see you all on the other side! :)

Vanilla Bean Mini-Bundt Cakes & Winner Announced!

Isn't this cake gorgeous?

You know what else is gorgeous? I have something really beautiful & special I want to share with you all. The post will be out in a couple of days! :) Don't forget to come back and check it out! 

Now, back to these white-capped beauties. I have been wanting to use my mini bundt molds for ages, and I am so glad I finally did!

You know, once I find a good recipe, I stick to it like glue! I've been using the same vanilla cake recipe since the beginning of time! So I decided I would  be brave and try something new.

I looked around and finally decided on a new recipe and it made the kind of cake I love! It is not a bundt cak recipe, really. It is just a vanilla bean cake. But I just wanted to use my bundt molds. So I did. I am sorry if this offends anyone.

You know how some cakes have a shiny, slightly crispy top and a soft fluffy interior? This is one of those cakes. Sometime I want a dense, moist pound cake, and sometimes I need light, fluffy, delicate cake. This one is definitely the latter.

This cake method was new to me, and I must admit I was a little skeptical about how it would turn out. Worked just fine! Whew!

Vanilla Bean Mini-Bundt Cakes
Adapted from Sweetapolita
Ingredients
50g egg whites, at room temperature
1/4 cup (60ml) whole milk, at room temperature
1 vanilla bean
95g (3/4 cup) all purpose flour
110g (1/2 cup) castor sugar
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
55g (4 tbsp) unsalted butter, at room temperature

Method
1. Preheat the oven to 350. Grease and flour your bundt molds.
2. In a medium bowl, combine the egg whites and half the milk. Slit the vanilla bean down the center and with the tip of the knife, scrape out the insides of the bean into the milk. Throw in the bean to infuse for a while.
3. In a large mixing bowl, add the flour, castor sugar, baking powder and salt. With your mixer on low speed, stir well to combine. For the mixer, the paddle attachment is recommended. I used the whisk attachment and it worked just fine.
4. Add the butter and the remaining milk and continue mixing until the mixture is evenly moistened. Increase the speed to medium and beat for about a minute.
5. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, and start adding the egg-vanilla mixture (after you have fished that bean out!) in 3 installments. Beat well after each addition.
6. Fill your molds 3/4 full and bake 20-25 minutes or until very slightly golden brown and feels 'set' to the touch. Keep an eye on the cake and make sure you don't over bake.
7. Allow to cool for a while, and turn out of the molds.
8. Glaze when completely cool.

For the glaze, I simply scraped out the insides of half a vanilla bean and combined it with 1 cup of powdered sugar with enough milk to get the consistency I like. I ended up making the glaze a little too thick, and while that makes for nice presentation, I found it too sweet. Next time I will make a thinner glaze.

But I loved the double hit of vanilla. I mean, look at those gorgeous flecks in the cake and in the glaze!

Delicious!

Now, for the giveaway winner!

First, let me thank each and every person who commented on my anniversary giveaway post! I totally appreciate the encouragement and anniversary wishes. I didn't reply to each comment because that would confuse me too much while taking a count for the giveaway.

As you may notice, we have 81 comments,  but only the first 80 qualify for the giveaway. That last comment came in too late :( Sorry!

And the winner of this gorgeous book

is... (drum roll, please!)

Comment #47 belongs to Tara, who said - "whoa that is one pretty cake... i would love something like this for my wedding! i've been reading your blog for a while now, and my favorite recipe so far is the brownies with bacon. yummers!!"


Congratulations, Tara! You will be getting an email from me very soon :) 

Thank you all once again for taking part in this giveaway, and for all the support!


A quick reminder - please don't miss the special post that will be out in a couple of days. I promise it is going to be really beautiful. So beautiful, that I am considering getting a professional photographer to come take the pictures! Don't miss it!

Note: The giveaway winner has been contacted by email, and if there is no response within 72 hours, another winner will be drawn using the same method, and will be contacted by email. 

Moist Carrot Cake w/ Coconut Milk Magic Frosting & A Giveaway!

The Harried Cook turned ONE yesterday!

As you may know, I started this blog as a way to chronicle my recipes for my little girl as well. She was only sixteen months old when I started and now she recognizes my blog when she sees it, knows which pictures are of "mommy's num-num". She has even started 'helping' around the kitchen - which usually means sticking her hands into the flour or dropping an egg on the floor - and through it all she chants, "I can cook, mommy. I can cook!" She's her mommy's daughter for sure! And who knows - she may even guest post for me on The Harried Cook's next birthday! :)

When I look back over the year, I am truly amazed - at how much I have learned, how many wonderful people I have met, how much I have drooled over all your fabulous food and most of all at how many friends I have made. This year has been a year of highs and lows for me, and I even took a blog break when I had to move house. You have no idea how touched and happy I was to have people emailing me just to check how I was doing and to see if we had found a home yet!

I am grateful for each and every one of you that has visited, commented, emailed, written on my Facebook wall or more recently, pinned one of my pictures. You have brightened so many of my days!

And thank you to my husband for the gorgeous blog anniversary roses! I love them!

For my blog anniversary, I baked the most amazing, moistest carrot cake and paired it with a coconut milk frosting that I came up with for a baking workshop I conducted around Christmas time. This was the exact recipe I taught at the workshop. I promised in my Christmas cookies post that I would share it with you, and here it is!

This cake is so delicious! I have been using this recipe for years and years and it has NEVER failed me. It is a very popular recipe and I know many people who use it and are very happy with it. The seemingly out-of-place pineapple and coconut contribute to make it an amazingly moist cake.

For the frosting recipe, I took inspiration from the Pioneer Woman's best frosting recipe. It is an easy and very fool-proof recipe. One of my friends (who also gave me this beautiful cake platter for my birthday - THANK YOU, Mousie :) :) I love it!!!)), dubbed this frosting 'Magic Frosting' and the name has stuck. I adapted the recipe to include coconut milk and coconut extract and it was just brilliant with the carrot cake. And if a sworn coconut hater can say so, you can take my word for it!

Moist Carrot Cake
Adapted from Food.com
Ingredients
2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
2 tsp cinnamon powder
1 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1 tsp salt
1 3/4 cup sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp coconut extract (optional)
2 1/2 cups grated carrot
1 cup freshly grated coconut
1 can (8oz) crushed pineapple, drained

Method
1. Preheat oven to 180C or 350F. Grease and flour cake tin. I used an 8" round pan for this recipe. 

UPDATE: the pan I used was a high sided pan and a reader has brought to my notice that using a regular sized 8" pan causes overflow. So if your pan is regular sized, please divide your batter between two pans. 
2. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon powder & grated nutmeg. Set aside.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together the sugar, vegetable oil, eggs, coconut extract and vanilla until light.
4. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and pour in the oil mixture. Stir well until combined and smooth.
5. Add the grated carrot, coconut and crushed pineapple and mix well to incorporate.
6. Pour into prepared tin and bake for 45-60 minutes until the center is set and the cake is golden brown. I would check on the cake after 40 minutes of baking.
7. Allow to cool completely before frosting.

Coconut Milk Magic Frosting
Adapted from Pioneer Woman's recipe
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups coconut milk
7 1/2 tsp all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups butter, softened
1 1/2 cups castor sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 tsp coconut extract (optional)

Method
1. In a heavy bottomed saucepan, combine the coconut milk and flour and whisk until smooth and not lumpy.
2. On low-medium heat, cook while stirring continuously until the mixture is thick and glossy. This will take about 5 minutes.
3. Set aside until completely cooled. It should not be even slightly warm.
4. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and castor sugar with an electric mixer (or in your stand mixer) until light.
5. Add the completely cooled coconut-flour mixture and the extracts.
6. Beat on medium-high speed. Don't panic if the mixture starts to look curdled or 'separated'. Just keep beating on high speed until it comes together. And it will.
7. Keep beating until the mixture has the texture of whipped cream and the sugar has completely dissolved.
8. Use on the same day or store in the fridge for up to three days. (I haven't tried keeping it longer or freezing it, but I don't see why that wouldn't work)

I have never been very good at the artistic stuff. These are supposed to be buttercream roses. I hope they don't look like random swirls.

This a magical combination.


Really. Truly. Take my word for it.

Now for the giveaway!

As a way to say "Thank you!", I would like to share one of my favorite cookbooks with you. If you've been around me long enough, you must know how much I love Alton Brown. So, I would like to giveaway one copy of his book 'I'm just here for the food' as a token of my love and appreciation to the readers of The Harried Cook.

It is only a small gesture, I know, but it is from my heart!

To enter this giveaway, just leave me a comment telling me which is your favorite recipe on my blog. Do you like these Rocky Road Cupcakes or do these Walnut Muffins make you drool? Is your sweet tooth craving some Red Velvet Ice Cream or would you rather have these savory Coconut Sesame Prawns? Just leave a comment and let me know - and that's all you need to do!

For additional entries, you can
- Like my Facebook page
- Pin one of the images of the cake in this post
- Subscribe to The Harried Cook by email or by RSS feed

Don't forget to leave separate comments to let me know you've done each of these things! That's a total of four entries per person. You have till 10 PM (GMT) on March 5th to enter.

This giveaway is open to anyone, anywhere. A random winner will be chosen using Random.org and announced on March 6th in an announcement post.

Please note: As you may have already heard, Google Friend Connect is being withdrawn from March 1st. So if you are following me on GFC and would like to continue receiving updates from The Harried Cook, I would recommend subscribing via email or subscribing to my RSS feed. 

Thanks again for all your support! I love you all!

Now go bake this cake, you hear?

Disclaimer: This giveaway is sponsored by me and me alone. Alton Brown does not even know I exist. Sigh!


***GIVEAWAY CLOSED***

Dried Blueberry Scones

Every time I go through my favorite blogs on my Google Reader, the thing that I feel most jealous about is all the gorgeous fresh berries I see! Except for strawberries and gooseberries, we don't get any other fresh berries where we live and that makes me SO sad! I am starting to hear rumors that we might be getting a few other varieties imported in a few months. I am really looking forward to that!

The only time I got to taste fresh blueberries, I totally loved them! But of course we very rarely get them fresh here. Dried berries are the only option for me. A good friend brought me a nice big bag of dried blueberries recently, and I've been wondering what to make with them. And then I found this recipe.

I LOVE scones. Plain scones, spiced scones, fruity scones - any kind! Remember my Cranberry-Orange scones?

I saw this recipe on Epicurious.com and immediately knew that I would be making this soon. I thought it would be a great way to use these dried bluberries. It was easy to make, and pretty quick too!

The scones turned out really good (better than these pictures did!). Everybody enjoyed them - the husband included. He is usually the hardest to please - especially with non-chocolate dishes. He had a few with a cuppa and seemed to enjoy them.

Dried Blueberry-Lime Scones
Adapted from this recipe on Epicurious.com 
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup sugar (plus 1 tablespoon for sprinkling)
85 grams unsalted butter (chilled and cubed)
1/2 cup buttermilk (plus 1 tablespoon for brushing the top)
3/4 cup dried blueberries 
1 tbsp lime zest

Method
1. Soak the blueberries in a bowl of water for about 15-30 minutes.
2. Preheat the oven to 200. Line a tray with Silpat or parchment paper.
3. In a large bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar until well combined.
4. Add the cubes of butter and using only your fingertips, rub in the butter into the flour until you have a mixture that resembles chunky bread crumbs. Some pieces of butter will be as large as baby peas.
5. Drain the blueberries and add into the bowl. Toss gently to coat the blueberries.
6. In a small bowl, combine the buttermilk and lime zest.
7. Pour this mixture into the large bowl and slowly mix with your hands until most of the flour is incorporated.
8. Transfer onto a work surface and bring all the dough together, kneading very gently. Don't knead for more than 30-40 seconds.
9. Gently flatten the dough into a 1" circle.
10. Transfer to the baking sheet, and cut into wedges.
11. Brush with the remaining buttermilk and sprinkle the top with the reserved sugar.
12. Bake for about 22-25 minutes or until golden brown on top, and cooked all the way through. You can test it with a toothpick.

Of course like all scones, these are best eaten fresh. I found that these scones were on the sweeter side, and so it did not need a sweet accompaniment like jam, or even a glaze, but you could add a simple one if you like! (I think the lime-cream cheese glaze in this recipe would be lovely with the blueberries!) I love scones with butter and so I ate one with a generous amount of butter. I also ate one the next day with some lime curd, and it was delicious! This recipe is definitely worth making again!

And hey - the 26th of February is The Harried Cook's first birthday! I look forward to sharing this special day with all of you who have made my first year so special! See you all on the 26th! :)

Look forward to a special giveaway sponsored by moi! :)

Red Velvet Whoopie Pies

Day three of our Red Velvet Journey is here!

I am thoroughly enjoying myself making and sharing with you these Red Velvet Treats. I hope you haven't missed the first two posts of this series - Red Velvet White Chocolate Chip Pancakes and Red Velvet Brownie Bites! They were both yummy!

The third Red Velvet treat I want share with you today is my favorite so far. These Red Velvet Whoopie Pies are SO good! For the cookies, I used Paula Deen's Red Velvet Sandwich Cookie recipe, but didn't use her cream cheese filling. I decided to use a creamy vanilla I've used before for sandwich cookies, and it worked great! The combination was dreamy!

Since we have been overdosing on the sweet treats this week, I baked a half batch of these cookies. Drat! Why did I go and do that?! Anyways, this makes 6 whoopie pies and I would recommend not telling anyone that you made them, because you will want to eat all six. Even before I had a chance to take the pictures, my husband ate two. Now that doesn't happen often. So they must be good! 

Red Velvet Whoopie Pies (or Red Velvet Sandwich Cookies)

Adapted from Paula Deen's Recipe on the Food Network

Ingredients

105g all-purpose flour

1 tbsp cocoa powder

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/8 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/8 cup butter

1/2 cup sugar

1 egg

1 tbsp buttermilk

1 tsp apple cider vinegar

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Desired amount of Red Food Coloring

Method

1. Mix together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a small bowl. Set aside. 

2. Cream together the butter and sugar. Add the egg and continue beating until light and fluffy.

3. Add the buttermilk, vinegar, vanilla and food coloring, one at a time. Beat well to combine.

4. Add the dry ingredients into this mixture and mix well until well combined.

5. Drop large spoonfuls of the batter onto a silpat/parchment lined baking tray. Each mound of the batter should be around 2 inches wide.

6. Bake for about 10 minutes or until completely cooked.

7. Leave for a few minutes to cool on the baking tray, and then remove the cookies onto a baking rack to cool.

8. When completely cool, pair up the cookie halves and sandwich using the creamy vanilla filling.

Creamy Vanilla Filling

Ingredients

1/2 cup whole milk

1/8 cup sugar

Salt, a pinch

1 egg yolk

1 tbsp corn starch

1/4 cup softened butter

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Method

1. In a small bowl, combine the sugar, salt, egg yolk and cornstarch. Whisk together and set aside.

2. In a medium saucepan, bring the milk  to a simmer. Take if off the heat and slowly stream half of the milk into the bowl containing the sugar mixture, stirring constantly.

3. Add the mixture back into the saucepan with the remaining milk. Cook on low heat, whisking continuously until the mixture thickens and becomes glossy.

4. Take it off the heat and whisk in the vanilla. Set aside to cool.

5. When the mixture has cooled, whisk it once again to make it smooth. 

6. In a small bowl, cream the butter until light and fluffy.  

7. Add the butter to the cooled milk mixture and whisk vigorously until light and fluffy.

This is a really delicious treat. I loved the filling, and maybe next time - just out of curiosity - I will try Paula Deen's recipe for the filling.

I hope you like this recipe! Here is how my 28 month old felt about it.  

I feel the same way!

:)

Make sure you come back tomorrow when I will share a delicious tea-time Red Velvet Treat! 

Rocky Road Cupcakes

I know I promised you some other recipes in my last recipe post, and yes, they will be coming soon, but I had to share this recipe first. I mean - just look at this beauty!

We had a few friends over for a barbecue last month, and we had such a blast! Hot dogs, burgers, BBQ chicken, grilled vegetables... there was just SO much food. It was really a lovely evening. Apart from the chicken and a few sides, I was also in charge of dessert. And I decided I would make cupcakes. I went with one of my favorite chefs - Alton Brown - for the cupcake recipe. He didn't fail to deliver. And the frosting is one I've been dying to try for a while. And I am so glad I did! Turned out to be such a fun recipe to make. And I was really pleased with how the cupcakes looked!

At the spur of the moment, I decided I would try browning the marshmallow frosting on one of the cupcakes to see how it works out. See, I didn't have a blowtorch. (I do now! Yay!!!) So I torched mine using bamboo skewers set on fire. Lol. It was a very technical process requiring a high level of skill. Not. Haha. But when people tasted how amazing the 'toasted frosting' tasted, suddenly everyone wanted their cupcakes toasted. In the end, even dessert had that smoky barbecue flavor. It was a real hit, and a lot of fun! I wish I had got pictures of the cupcakes post-toasting. I was so busy eating, I forgot!

I know these cupcakes don't look very 'rocky' but I named it because of the chocolate-marshmallow-walnut combination.

Devil's Food Cupcakes
Cake recipe adapted from Alton Brown
Ingredients
1 cup boiling water
4 oz/112 grams cocoa powder
10.5 oz/300 grams sugar
8.5 oz/240 grams all-purpose flour
1 oz/28 grams corn starch
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup vegetable oil
4.5 oz/128 grams thick buttermilk or sour cream
2 eggs + 2 yolks (at room temperature)
Toasted walnuts (for garnish)

Method
1. Preheat the oven to 350.
2. Grease and line your cupcake tray with cupcake liners. I got 12 cupcakes from this recipe.
3. Combine the boiling water with the cocoa powder, and whisk till combined. Set aside.
4. In a large bowl, combine the sugar, flour, corn starch, baking soda, and salt. Mix well to combine.
5. In a medium bowl, combine the vegetable oil, buttermilk, eggs, and yolks. Whisk well to combine.
6. Add the cocoa mixture to the oil mixture and stir well to combine.
7. With the mixer running on low speed, pour the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients. Continue on low speed for about 30 seconds. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and continue beating on low speed for a further 30 seconds.
8. Spoon the batter into the prepared cupcake tin, and bake for 20-25 minutes or until the center of the cupcake springs back when pressed.
9. Allow the cupcakes to rest in the tin for 5 minutes and transfer to a cooling rack to cook completely.
10. Make sure your cupcakes have completely cooled before you frosting them.

7 Minute Frosting
Adapted from Martha Stewart
Ingredients
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup water
1 tbsp liquid glucose (or corn syrup)
3 large egg whites
Cream of tartar, a pinch
1/4 tsp vanilla extract

Method
1. In a heavy bottom saucepan, on low heat, heat the 3/4 cup sugar, water and liquid glucose. Stir until the sugar has dissolved.
2. Increase the heat and bring the mixture to a boil, and cook until the soft-ball stage (235 degrees on your sugar thermometer). Take care to brush down the sides of the pan so that the syrup doesn't crystallize.
3. While the sugar is boiling, starting to whisk your egg whites with the cream of tartar until they reach soft peaks.
4. When your syrup is at 235 degrees, while continuously beating your egg whites on a low speed, slowly pour the hot syrup in a steady stream until all the syrup is added and incorporated.
5. Increase the speed of the mixer to a medium speed and beat for approximately 7 minutes. The frosting should be in stiff peaks and completely cooled by now.
6. Beat in the vanilla.
7. Use this frosting immediately or it starts to set.

Once your cupcakes are frosted, top with mini-marshmallows (I used chocolate and vanilla mini-marshmallows) and toasted walnuts and set them aside. Then all you have to do before serving them is to slightly torch the frosting for that toasty marshmallow flavor. Mmmmmm... just divine!

A little late, I know, but - Happy New Year! I hope you liked my first recipe for 2012. I hope that this year is a great year for all of us and that we all get to know each other a little better! 

God bless you! :)

Cranberry Orange Scones

Has anyone noticed I haven't posted in almost a week? I guess not. :) Well, I haven't.

While I have been visiting as many blogs as possible, I just have not been able to post anything this last week!You see, both my laptop and my internet enabled phone decided to call it quits at the same time. I think they planned it! And while they sit happily in the repair shop, I have no option but to use the desktop computer, and this chair gives me a horrid backache! And the spare phone I'm using (and I am grateful for the phone!), does not connect to the internet.So until my laptop returns, you won't be hearing from The Harried Cook as much!

Yesterday was one of those days. I just HAD to bake. I didn't care what. I just had the need to bake. I did a quick inventory of what was available in my limited pantry, and Googled some combinations that made sense to me. This scone recipe from Ina Garten was one of the first to show up. To  be honest, I have not had very good experiences with scones. Well, I haven't eaten that many scones in my life, but the ones I have eaten haven't been very good. So I was quite nervous trying this out.

This recipe was a pleasant surprise! Great flavors, flaky crumbly texture, only mildly sweet, and the yummy glaze made it just perfect! I made only half the recipe, and still ended up with more scones than I needed. Next time I'll try half of this.

Cranberry Orange Scones
Adapted from Ina Garten's recipe on Food Network

Ingredients
250g (2 cups) all-purpose flour (plus 2 tablespoon)
30g (1/8 cup) sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
Zest of 1 orange
175g butter, cold & diced
3 medium eggs, beaten lightly
120ml (1/2 cup) heavy cream
1/2 cup chopped dried cranberries
Demerara sugar, or additional granulated sugar, for sprinkling

Method
1. Preheat the oven to 400.
2. Combine 250g of flour, the sugar, baking powder, salt and the orange zest in your mixer bowl. Stir to combine.
3. Add the diced butter, and run the mixer on the lowest setting till most of the mixture resembles breadcrumbs, with some larger bits of butter.
4. Remove 2 tbsp of the beaten egg mixture into a smaller bowl and set aside to use as egg wash.
5. Into the remaining egg, stir in the cream, mixing until combined.
6. Pour this egg-cream mixture into the flour mixture, and continue mixing on 'low' until the dough just comes together. It will be lumpy, but that's just fine!
7. Stir the additional 2 tbsp of flour with the cranberries in a bowl. Add this mixture into the dough and stir in until the cranberries are evenly distributed. Don't over-mix.
8. Turn the dough out onto a well floured surface. Roll out the dough about 3/4 inch thick. You might see bits of butter peeking out of the dough, but that's just fine.
9. Cut into circles using a round cookie cutter. Transfer the circles to a baking tray/dish.
10. Gather the remaining dough, roll out, and cut into scones. Continue until you've used up all the dough.
11. Add about a teaspoon of water to the reserved 2 tbsp of egg. Use this mixture to brush the tops of all the scones.
12. Sprinkle the scones with plain or demerara sugar, and bake about 20-25 minutes, until the tops are golden brown, and scones feel firm to the touch.
13. Remove from the oven and allow them to cool on the tray for about 15 minutes.
14. Transfer to a wire rack to cool, and drizzle over with the fresh orange glaze.

Fresh Orange Glaze 
Ingredients

1/2 cup + 2 tbsp powdered sugar

4 tsp freshly squeezed orange juice

1/4 tsp orange zest

Method

1. Combine all the ingredients, and stir until smooth and lump-free.

2. Add more sugar or juice to adjust the consistency, if desired.

The flavors of cranberry and orange really work well together. And while I've always eaten scones with jam and cream, or butter and jam, I didn't need that extra sweetness with these scones because of the glaze. It added just the right amount of sweetness. 

After dropping the jam, I felt it would be just plain wrong to drop the tea too. After all, tea and scones are made for each other. And while I am not a big tea or coffee drinker, I decided to respect the scone and made myself a hot cup of strawberry-mango tea. And after settling my little girl down for her late afternoon nap, I settled myself on the couch with a cup of tea, a scone (okay, okay, I had two!), and a good book. It was a wonderful afternoon!

I must report, as I always do, that everyone enjoyed this recipe - my husband, my daughter and the dog. Jerry gave it four barks, and that's a pretty high rating! 

Pomegranate Pound Cake

I made it to post #50. Whew!

I wanted to bake a cake to mark the 50 post milestone. I contemplated baking a many-layered cake, and frosting it and decorating it with some pretty flourishes. But after a lot of plotting and scheming, I finally ended up with this. I guess, on some level, I really wanted the cake to reflect my cooking style. Simple, but with oodles of flavor.

I really like this cake. And my little girl, Aimee, has been walking around the house all day, chanting 'cake, cake, cake', and has eaten more than her fair share already. I can safely say she likes it too. My husband, well he has never been a fan of what he calls 'plain' cakes. Give him a dark, moist, rich chocolate cake, and he's happy. But he did eat a slice or two of this cake, and declared it 'very nice'! That's a high compliment, mind you!

So, here is my favorite pound cake recipe. I made one 6" bundt cake, and 1 mini-loaf (to give away). You could bake this in a 9" bundt tin or you could even make little pink-glazed cupcakes, garnished with edible red pomegranate 'jewels'! Imagine how cute those cupcakes would look!

Pomegranate Pound Cake
Ingredients
180g (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature
200g (1 cup) sugar
4 eggs, separated
1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp lime zest

185g (1 1/2 cup) all-purpose flour

1/8 tsp baking soda

125ml creme fraiche
1/2 cup pomegranate seeds/arils (plus a handful for garnish)

Method
1. Preheat your oven to 350.
2. Sift the flour with the baking soda, and set aside.
3. Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy
4. Add the zest, the vanilla, and the four egg yolks, and continue creaming for 2-3 minutes.
5. Add the flour-soda mixture in three parts, alternating with the creme fraiche added in two parts. (You start and end with the flour mixture)
6. In a clean bowl, using a clean whisk (or whisk attachments) beat the egg whites until stiff.
7. Fold the egg whites into the batter gently until completely incorporated.
8. Gently stir in the pomegranate arils.
9. Pour batter into greased and floured baking tin, and bake until the top is lightly golden and a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
10. Remove from the oven, and allow to rest in the baking tin for 10 minutes.
11. Turn out of the pan, and allow it to cool completely on a cooling rack.
12. When cool, drizzle over the pomegranate glaze and garnish with more fresh pomegranate arils.

Pomegranate Glaze
50 ml fresh pomegranate juice
1/2 tsp lemon juice
200g icing sugar

1. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl until smooth and light.
2. Adjust the quantity of icing sugar to make the glaze thinner or thicker, if desired

The cake is really moist - thanks to the creme fraiche, and very light, with tiny pink pomegranate arils peeking through. I love how pretty it looks! And I love the flavors too. The pomegranate flavor in the cake and the glaze are really subtle, and very fragrant.

I really loved how pretty  the shade of the glaze turned out. A lovely shade of pink without a drop of artificial food coloring! And with completely natural 'sprinkles', I felt really good about it! It doesn't get better than this!